Agony in Oedipus
Introduction
In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Oedipus discovers through mental, physical and emotional suffering who he really is, which leads him to accept his indisputable fate
Many who have passed through the crucible of suffering will acknowledge that they have found themselves infinitely better from the experience – bitter though it may have been. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Oedipus discovers through mental, physical and emotional suffering who he really is, which leads him to accept his indisputable fate. As Oedipus grows in terrifying self-knowledge, he changes from a once prideful, heroic King, to a tyrant in denial toward the middle, and finally to a fearful, condemned man, humbled by his tragic fate. Oedipus’ mental anguish over whether or not he is Laius’ murderer, his physical torture (by gouging out his eyes) and, his emotional torment over Jocastas’ death and his children’s fate, cause his suffering but, in the end, leads to his self-realization.
Discussion
Oedipus’s mental distress causes him a great deal of suffering but, in turn, leads to his self-realization. In the beginning, Oedipus is a very confident and valiant hero, with more than a sufficient amount of pride. Oedipus, as the male protagonist, finds himself constrained to rid Thebes of a horrible and deadly plague that will cease only if he finds King Louis’ murderer, “Does any man among you know/ who killed Laius son of Labdacus?” (14).Oedipus, in such an unrelenting effort to find the assassin discovers that he himself might be the murderer, “I say, the murderer of the man/ whose murder you pursue is you” (21).
Tiresias corners Oedipus and points to him as Louis’ murderer. With this, Oedipus is in rage and disbelief. As Oedipus places the burden onto Tiresias, accusing him of being the sinister murderer, he falls into a hollow pit of denial. Further on in the story, Oedipus learns pieces of information about the assassination of Laius. With this new information, Oedipus begins to see that he is connected to the murder in more ways than he thought. A growing paranoia grips Oedipus when Jocasta recounts the story of her husband’s murder, which leads the King to suspect his own past actions.
When pieces begin to merge and more evidence points towards him, Oedipus slowly begins to drive himself panic-stricken and mentally obsessed with whether or not he is Louis’ murderer, “Oh lost! Yes, surely lost! / self-damned, I think, just now and self-deceived” (42). Oedipus’ mental suffering is caused by his uncertainty of whether or not he himself is the murderer he seeks. This suffering ultimately leads to the much-anticipated discovery of his identity and past.
Similarly, Oedipus’ physical agony causes him much affliction but, eventually, leads to his understanding and acceptance of his fate and to his self-realization.
Oedipus learns the awful truth about his life when the shepherd confirms the truth about his parents. In turn, Oedipus is greatly disgusted with his actions of murder and incest, “A son of sin and sorrows / All incest-sealed / With the womb that bore me” (74). Oedipus becomes a man humbled to the pain and dejection of knowing the truth and, with overwhelming evidence, forces himself to admit his tragic destiny. “My birth all sprung revealed from those it never should, / Myself entwined with those I never could. / And I the killer of those I never would” (67). Yet the transformation of Oedipus is most clearly displayed when he gouges out his eyes. At this point, he has already seen his inescapable fate and chooses to make himself physically blind to it. “Hold them up
and rams the pins right through his eyes. / “Wicked, wicked eyes!” he gasps, / “You shall not see me nor my crime,” (70). Oedipus humbles himself in accepting his inescapable fate and tragic downfall and gouges out his own eyes. This causes him undesirable pain and suffering leading Oedipus to realize what kind of individual he is. This shows the audience that his self-realization did not occur unwillingly, nor did it occur for the worst, but because he was admirable in the end.
Lastly, Oedipus’ emotional torment over Jocastas’ death and his children’s heartbreaking fate causes him much suffering, which is necessary to achieve self-realization. Through his effort to purify the city of Thebes, Oedipus discovers that the dreadful Oracle has come true. In the process of killing his father and marrying his mother, Oedipus lost his throne, his children and the devotion of the people of Thebes, “Stop. What we’ve seen already is unbearable. / What further agony will you load on us?” (69). The civilians all suffer along with Oedipus because they have lost their greatest leader. Oedipus rushes into the palace to find his wife draping lifelessly from a noose. The oracle had destroyed her spirit. Oedipus endures much suffering from seeing Jocasta’s motionless body, hanging from her own self-hatred and guilt:
He shouts for all the barriers to be unbarred and he
displayed to all of Thebes, his father’s murderer,
his mother’s … no, a word to foul to say…
begging to be cast adrift, not rot at home
Oedipus, bloodied and sightless with agony, bares his distressed face as he pleads with Creon to exile him away. Oedipus feels ashamed and guilty in regards to all of his actions and accusations, which have done nothing more than proving him wrong. He can scarcely look at Creon and much less ask of him to consider his plight, “Ah! What words are left for me to him? / What title to sincerity and trust / when all my past behavior are proved so wrong?” (75).
Oedipus’ can no longer take care of his children but he wants them to be in safe and secure hands, for their lives will not be any easier, “He cannot see you now but still can weep / and ponder on those bitter days to come / which cruel consort with the world will prove.” (78). Oedipus suffers internally as Creon agrees to raise Oedipus’ children as if his own. Oedipus’ emotional state worsens as he leaves Thebes pronouncing a heartrending and brief farewell to his only children, “No, no, never! Don’t take them from me.” (80). Oedipus’ suffering purifies Thebes. When the guilt has been purged, the situation restores to health and balance, leading to redemption after his brutal suffering and long-awaited self-discovery.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Oedipus endures much suffering all the way through the play physically, emotionally, and mentally. Yet after all the pain, the anguish and the torment he is finally able to see who he is and who he once perceived himself to be. Oedipus learns valuable lessons during the unfolding of the prophecy and most importantly, when his much-warranted self-realization arrives, discovers his true self.
Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply
Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?
Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.
Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?
- Plagiarism free papers
- Timely delivery
- Any deadline
- Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
- Subject-relevant academic writer
- Adherence to paper instructions
- Ability to tackle bulk assignments
- Reasonable prices
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Get superb grades consistently
Online Academic Help With Different Subjects
Literature
Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.
Finance
Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.
Computer science
Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!
Psychology
While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.
Engineering
Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.
Nursing
In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.
Sociology
Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.
Business
We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!
Statistics
We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.
Law
Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.
What discipline/subjects do you deal in?
We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.
Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?
Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.
What if I don’t like the paper?
There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.
Reasons being:
- When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
- We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.
In the event that you don’t like your paper:
- The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
- We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
- Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.
Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?
Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.
What if the paper is plagiarized?
We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.
When will I get my paper?
You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.
Will anyone find out that I used your services?
We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.
How our Assignment Help Service Works
1. Place an order
You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.
2. Pay for the order
Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.
3. Track the progress
You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.
4. Download the paper
The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!
